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Kaon Uprising: Decepticon Smackdown
Decimus could not fathom that this would happen to him. The golden-armored, mustached Senator attempted to hold his head high, to show his defiance against the low-caste, low-sparked rabble that had ripped him away from his crowning glory - the erection of a statue in his honor - and brought him into the bowels of this scrap and muck-smeared cesspit. He is pushed into the center of the Arena with throngs of onlookers leering at him, shaking their fists. The noise is almost deafening, but he can clearly hear one thing: They are calling for the end of his life. ~*~ Barricade stomps out into the center of the arena, having drug Decimus along by his restraints like a resistant dog tugging against its leash. He shoves the Senator into the middle of the arena, letting him fall face-first into the oil and fuel-soaked oxide sands of the gladiator pits. The same pits that slaughtered the desperate in gladiatorial combat to further line the pockets of the elite. At least one Senator has already paid the price for his greed. The black and white police mech places a foot onto the back of Decimus, holding him down - the loyal Enforcer is no longer so loyal. The dog has been beaten enough that he's willing to bite the hand that fed him. "I'm sure the accommodations aren't up t' your usual fare, 'your highness'." Barricade's tone oozes with sarcasm. "Welcome t' Kaon." The rabble of the crowd, the smell of spilled and soured oil is power, its determination and its the motivation for every step the large miner makes as he nears the Arena. His frame is weathered and bears the marks of the job he was forced into and the battles hes fought to break free of what the society says he must do. And right now the miner turned Gladiator is only interested in one thing; the mech on the floor in the arena he has just stepped into. Instantly the crowd seems to look at Megatron collectively. His presence is powerful almost tangible and he knows this and as he makes his way to a large announcers platform, he feels the optics on him, hears the cheers intensify and with a slight smirk he lifts a hand in a bid to silence the voices. Megatron looks at the golden mech on the floor, the foot shoving that pristine face into the spent oil and dirt of lives lost and battle won and then to his second in command. He gives no reaction as his optics lock onto Barricades and then he glances around. "Why are you here?" he asks in deep and command tone. "All of you from every part of this planet -- Tarn, Vos, Polyhex, Kaon. What has drawn you here? Os it to fight? Is it to die? Or is it to watch others fight and die while you sit complacent in your role the Senate has chosen for you." he points to Decimus, "Or are you here to let society know that you will no longer be the forgotten ones, the ones, this mech has decided this is all you are?" he pauses a beat then continues, "No you are here to make a stand -- a stand for your freedom, for your lives, and it starts here. It starts now." And surprise, surprise, who else will show his brazen visage other than Starscream, the recently absented ruler of Vos. The sound of his jet engines echo down the hallway of the Forge and into the arena, as the seeker flies in with breathtaking speed and grace, protoforming adjacent to Barricade. His boosters activate with a hiss and he lowers himself to the ground gently, heels clicking when he touches down. The seeker first watches Megatron blandly as he rouses the crowd. He sighs dramatically and leans against a battered pillar, folding his arms and looking bored. Then he takes notice of the Senator and his optics gleam, a wicked grin lighting up his features. "Ah, Decimus." He pivots on one heel so that he comes to stand in front of the senator. "I must apologize for the former officer's unnecessary sarcasm," the seeker says, gesturing grandiosely. "I'm sure this has been an optic opening experience for you, to say in the least." This is the day everything changes. Soundwave senses it, feels it, knows it. As he watches the Senator dragged into the arena, the anger and frustration emanating from the crowd is palpable- and not just to him. But to him, with his talents, the emotion is like a flood that could almost drown him. Fortunately, the outlier has spent countless cycles working on controlling that flood and he does it with a long practiced calm. For he /must/ remain calm. Even though he himself feels a surge of that same rage and frustration. It is time for the Age of the Elite to end and the Age of Equality to begin. Still, as he watches this scene unfold, he is content with his customary position on the edges, feeling no need to go down there himself or get directly involved. He is still posing as a Senator's Aide, it would not do for him to be seen to be directly involved. As he watches Megatron enter the stage, Soundwave can't help but feel a wave of emotion despite himself- a sharp spike of hope for what comes next and pride in the cause. Starscream on the other hand gets a much cooler reception from the carrier... but he has his uses as well, of course. While Swift Blade is pretty modest as far as Seekers go, or people in general go, she wouldn't consider herself 'low-sparked rabble'. Then again, unlike many 'others' she is not calling for the Senator's life. Instead, she's watching the mech closely since she's never really SEEN a Senator before. His treatment at the hands of Barricade is less than stellar, and it is when people are at their low points that they show their mettle. She waits to see if he proves himself the villain everyone here believes him to be. However she is exactly like the crowd in that she gives Megatron intense focus as he comes to the platform. Despite reservations about his anger, about his methodology, she is still completely behind in him the matter of his goal, and the rightness of /it/. As an orator she could ask for nothing more. Mutely she watches as Starscream adds his two bits. For a moment she wonders if there really is a point and purpose to becoming more like him, but dismisses the thought from her mind for now; it doesn't seem terribly relevant to the situation. But she can't dispute that yes, this probably /is/ quite an optic-opener for the unfortunate Senator. Somewhere on the fringes of everything, standing by Soundwave, a tiny femme is prepared to use her abilities in case the sheer power of the emotions here threaten to overwhelm the outwardly impassive, bulky blue mech. Brawl looks down at the arena as the Decepticon officers make their way in, optics focusing on each before glancing at Decimus. He doesn't cheer when prompted though causes a few nearby to most likely back away as he raises his favored weapon and slams it down hammerhead first, hands resting on the pommel. For now besides some radio chatter he's silent, especially since the events nearby have barely started. Over where Soundwave is located, Rumble is there as well, and he's enthusiastically cheering for the Senator's demise. "Let's rip him apart!!" the little mech bellows. Glancing up at Soundwave, Rumble explains, "He /totally/ deserves this. You shoulda seen how he did us miners. Whole thing was a fiasco. This < CENSORED > deserves what's comin' to him!" Blast Off is here... despite still having something of a hangover from the drinking binge he just went on after his "Great Debate" with Whirl. It IS finally clearing, partially thanks to Vortex's "sobering" remedy, but still... ugh. The shuttleformer brings a black hand up to a gray face and rubs, trying to wake up more as this event unfolds. These sorts of things always leave him conflicted: he understands and shares the anger the crowd has at the Senator. The Senate messed up his life- /several/ times... and he wouldn't be stuck here now without that. BUT- the anger at the High Caste always makes the (former) High Caste a little uncomfortable. The Littlest Decepticon (or at least the newest) is observing everything impassively, crimson optics fixed on both Megatron and Barricade. Both of them are important to her - Megatron as her commander in chief, but Barricade as her Father. Well, as close as Cybertronians can get to having a father anyways. Hooray Elective Kinship. Pursuit sits with her hands in her lap, stark against purples, blues and yellows with her somber black and white paint, instantly identifying her as an agent of law and order. Which one? Well, the purple badge sitting in the middle of her helm should be a clue. With a far less spectacular entrance then his brother, the Indigo Seeker simply walks in and up to where Starscream is standing. He looks at the Decimus on the floor and the crows and then his optics rest on his leader, Megatron but other then that he remains silent Wrong mech, wrong place, wrong time: Hot Rod elbows his way through the crowd with an irritated expression. What is going on. PEOPLE KEEP GETTING IN HIS WAY. The flames and the spoiler might make him easy to spot, but that doesn't mean people are going to move for him. More often than not, it has the opposite effect. In the end, he climbs the arena's stands for a better view. He looks out over the crowd to try to find -- well, it doesn't matter who he's looking for, because when he spots the Senator below, all thoughts drop out of his head. "Oh, /scrap/." The Decepticons would be fools to bring Decimus here. Or really, any such high-profile target. That is, unless they had some other plan up their tailpipes, which Prowl fully expects. For now, however, he can't afford to brood over it. As it is, several police squadrons have made their way to the arena, having incapacitated any alarm systems and silently neutralized any resistance that might have come their way. They know the lay of the complex, the patrol routes, everything--thanks in no small part to Starscream. They wait in the shadows for their commander's signal. And speaking of the one in charge right now, Prowl listens to the proceedings from his own position of cover in the back wings behind the grandstands. A deep frown is on his face as he shakes his head to himself. Such short-sighted, delusional idiots. What would it take to make them see that they're doing nothing more than digging their own graves, and not only their own, but those of everyone around them, and those of millions, no -billions- of civilizations across the galaxy? Such a shame that force must be resorted to--but necessity is necessity. He silently checks that everyone is in position and a general layout of the current situation has been stored on the network before readying a grenade launcher. It's about to get awfully cloudy and confusing in here... << Deploy the smoke grenades and move in quickly. Now! >> Upon signaling the others, he himself fires, launching a small round device past the crowds and into the arena. It spews a thick, white gaseous substance as it goes, quickly filling the air like a dense fog. It was extremely unusual for the petite and peace loving femme to be in the forge, especially for a big fight. But Swivel, who had caught a ride with Thundercracker could not help but feel a bit of curiousity to see for her own optics. Rather than exuding fear or rage or admiration, the femme instead is just adding a tiny drop of fear and horror in the wave of anger, admiration, and enthusiasm. Swivel is noticeable in the crowd due to her small stature, and is somewhat relieved she can't see much. She saw she had come to see, and wanted to leave before it got ugly. At least, that was her intention. But all of a sudden, not only are the bodies of cheering audience blocking her way, but her sight is suddenly obscured by a gaseous fog. Swivel freezes, standing between two rather bulky and confused mechs in the audience. Arcee can't believe it. She just can't believe it. It was shocking enough that Starscream provided her with the Forge location, but...but when Intel confirmed that it was a good lead, the former Senate Aide very nearly wept with shock. What did this mean?? Why would he tell her this? What would he stand to gain from this level of betrayal?? There were too many unanswered questions. Only one thing is for certain right now, and that was Springer's rage. The Tritorian Guard captain is heavily armed, and heavily angry to boot. She's chosen to accompany him into this mass arrest, and with tensions and feelings running into the red zone, it may prove to be an interesting evening. As the order goes down to activate the smoke grenades, she follows Springer into the building, shooting the smoke bombs around until her launcher runs out. Then, with the distraction underway, she quickly follows so as not to lose sight of him. Angry isnt the word for it. The Captain of the Tririan Guard is beside himself that one of the Senators was captured. Where it was and how the got the information to find him, Springer could care less, all he knows is hes out to rescue Decimus and bring these rebels in for justice. Ignoring the smoke grenades as he lobs his own share in he marches into the arena prepared to fight. Storming into the Forge packed to the brim with bloodthirsty mechs to rescue a Senator of all people at the risk of his own life is the very last thing Whirl wants to do, especially when he's still dealing with the aftermath of that ridiculous 'debate' Sky Lynx put him up to. Unfortunately, this is his job and he can't really say no. Besides, maybe he'll feel a little better about his own crappy life by making a bunch of random Decepticon sympathizer's lives even worse. Whirl stands in position along with the others deployed with him. He's tense. Anxious. There's a SecF issued rifle in his arms, claws twitching on the trigger as he waits. Then the command is given and Whirl springs into action. He uses the cover of the smoke bombs to charge in, focused only on one thing: getting this done and over with. As he charges towards the arena, he slams into a mech, no doubt an audience member, stumbling around confused in the smoke. Whirl doesn't have time for this. His rifle is raised and he fires a controlled burst into the unsuspecting mech to send him crumpling to the ground. "DON'T RESIST!" Whirl shouts over the ensuing chaos. "IT WILL ONLY MAKE THINGS WORSE." A shrill and girlish scream is heard as Swivel gets pinned under the mech that Whirl had shot. Megatron sees everything dissolve in the haze of smoke bomb and angrily shouts, "Barricade, secure Decimus! The rest of you, FIGHT!" and he leaps off the platform and heads toward the only Autobot he saw before the smoke got too thick: Whirl. And then there was smoke. Where there's smoke, there's apparently gunfire. Swift Blade's automatic response to violent trouble is to draw her swords. With the chaos erupting she moves closer to Blast Off; if there are going to be arrests, then she knows that will greatly disturb the sniper. Already she's scanning the building, looking for enemies and preparing to meet them head on if need be. Blast Off can hit them better from a distance, so it falls to her to make sure he doesn't get hit. They've done this before; they'll do it again. Hopefully he picks up on that cue. Soundwave looks down at Silence and Rumble, offering each a nod. Upon Rumble's cheer for blood, the carrier replies, "I /can/ see... in a way." Of course he refers to his telepathy, and the surface thoughts of what happened in the mines coming from the smaller mech flicker through to him. "He will not escape justice. Not anymore." Then- something goes wrong. Soundwave senses it before it even happens and he gestures the two smaller Cybertronians near him. Not long after that, the gas begins to fill the arena. Soundwave seems rather calm about the whole thing- but then again, he usually does. "Stay near me," he warns. Decimus struggles wildly as the attack is launched. He's certain his salvation has arrived. They'll pay for this. They'll -all- pay for this. "DOWN HERE!" he shouts over the noise. "I'M DOWN HERE! SAVE ME FIRST YOU IDIOTS!" He's so very -gracious- and -grateful- for the rescue. "Smoke" fills the air and soon after screams of "GAS! GAS!" erupt out of the gathered Decepticon masses. It's hard to see and they were not prepared for this assault. The Senate Enforcers have goggles and filtration systems to help them coordinate their movements. The Decepticon gladiators have only surprise and panic. Some of them turn on each other and wildly swing, trying to escape and save their own hides. Others stand together like the seasoned warriors they are, and prepare to try to fight off an attack. The gunfire causes even more chaos and Decepticons fall, injured from Whirl's assault. More thuggish Security Forces members are closing in on the stragglers at the exits of the arena, and simply clubbing them into submission with raucous laughter. No one's going to care what happens to criminals, after all. Ironhide, Bumblebee, Cliffjumper and Hound scatter into the crowd, stasis cuffs and inhibitor claws in hand. Blades drags Motormaster himself down to the ground. Thundercracker hears laserfire then a squalch that sounds vaguely familar. "SWivel" he says and pushes past Starscream to go help his friend and shoot the slag out of any Autobot that he comes across along the way. Rumble looks around quickly as smoke begins filling up the arena, and it becomes so completely chaotic so quickly that he has little choice but to remain in Soundwave's immediate vicinity or else get trampled. Taking out the floor in /this/ atmosphere had the possibility of being a disaster to all the wrong mechs, so it was just far too risky. Barricade's first thoughts are for Pursuit and Slipstream - though Pursuit gets first thoughts as Slipstream is more than capable of defending herself, or even escaping. Pursuit is a newspark and this is every father's worst nightmare. Still, he obeys. He grabs up Decimus by the arm. "Shaddap!" he snarls, bringing his left elbow down in a jab to the Senator's back, attempting to knock him offline in a single blow. "Huh, whats going on?," Brawl says as the smoke starts pouring in. He realizes whats going on before Megatron yells out to get to fighting as he hears a shot. Anyone nearby better watch out as he quickly flips the hammer in his hands yelling out, "Come on, its time to go wild!" The combaticon starts to swing at anyone that dares come too close. Blast Off doesn't even really like big crowds like this, either. The shuttleformer continues to watch the scene... feeling a twinge of distaste at the obvious call for blood going on but certainly not feeling the urge to stop it or anything. And then- smoke. The Combaticon stiffens, then turns his head to try and figure out what the smelt is going on. Violet optics narrow as the former Primal Vanguard realizes that this is wrong- this is VERY wrong. The sniper immediately brings out his ionic blaster. The smoke makes everything confusing, and Blast Off instinctively attempts to wave it away, though of course that does nothing much. However, he does spot Swift Blade nearby and draws closer. "We're under attack... we've got to get to a higher location." But he also hears a voice- a VERY familiar voice. That's not... no, that COULDN'T be... WHIRL??!! The shuttleformer tries to hone in on the source of that sound, stumbling closer to it while looking for a familiar face- or a target. Pursuit has had only the briefest of training, but it may yet save her life. She reacts to the chaos by transforming straight into jet mode, blasting up and over the gas, just under the ceiling structures before diving down to assist Barricade. It will be the safest place to be, in her estimation, as she lands beside her father, sticking close. Silence is going to have NO trouble staying near Soundwave. In fact, she hides behind his legs for as long as he is staying still and will likely follow him the moment he moves away. Also, she struggles to keep her power from triggering; she's sure that Soundwave will need his audials. But she does reach to put a hand on Rumble's shoulder. "You'll get a chance to help," she says, divining that the minicon would love nothing more than to get into the fray if he could. Shortly after Starscream approaches him, the Autobots swarm the Forge. The seeker feigns surprise perfectly, and his optics scan the arena in a panicked fashion. "Slag..." he mutters as the smoke grenades detonate. Heh. They came quicker than I expected. "< Try not to get flattened like last time, brother >" Starscream radios his brother. He then transforms and flies towards the chaos, looking for a convenient target. He notices Blast Off first, then he sees Megatron going for Whirl. The Autobot will receive a transmission from the seeker. "< Haha! This is such a paramount moment for you, isn't it >?" Arcee keeps Springer in her sights. As a flyer, he may end up making a beeline for Senator Decimus, which is fine by her; she just makes a mental note of where he's gone, in case they get separated in this din. In the meantime, Arcee draws her pistol, and keeps a pair of energy-cuffs handy. Arrests need to be made. She's not out to harm anyone directly; she just has her orders, and she intends to carry them out. Noticing Swift Blade in the vicinity, she begins approaching her. Prowl charges into the arena himself as soon as the grenades are fired and smoke begins to fill the room. Chaos and panic erupts among the Decepticons, and the enforcers begin to take full advantage of it. Out come the stun weapons and inhibitor claws as he heads toward the center of the arena where Barricade and Pursuit are. As luck would have it, they happen to be the first forms he spots. Leveling a techvolt at his former colleague, the security chief doesn't fire quite yet, but makes it a point to fix the mech with a disapproving glare. "Barricade. Stop this madness. You're no brute. You -know- this can only end poorly for you." Springer is on his way toward the Senator but even hes having a bit of a time in the smoke. He hears Decimus' voice and calls out. "Hang tight, sir, the calvery has arrived." and with that he slaps a pair of energy cuffs on the closest con that cross his path and pushing the cuffed mech aside he continues on his way toward where he last saw Decimus. The unlikely bulk of Swivel's tires draws Hot Rod's eye. He's already scrambling down to find her when the smoke hits. The resulting chaos forces him back: he's thrown to the side by a gladiator eager to break for the exit. But not Hot Rod. He wades back into the fray. Kicking off the stands at his back, he pushes against the flow to head to where he last saw her. Which is by Whirl! And now Blast Off! And also Megatron! And oh look, there's Thundercracker, also looking for Swivel! That's just too many people -- or perhaps too many shadows, lost in the smoke. "Swiv?" he calls, a bit uncertain. Everything is happening so fast. The energy inside the Forge is chaotic and unpredictable. It's just like old times in the Rodion police force. It's.. kind of exciting. No, it /is/ exciting. It's exactly the sort of stuff Whirl has been waiting to do. He's so wrapped up in the action that he didn't even notice Megatron breaking away from his original position, nor did he notice that the big guy himself making his way towards him. Surely this wont have horrible repercussions. Surely. Whirl steps past the mech he just laid out on the floor thanks to the power of military grade weaponry. He sends a message to the others with him, warning them of his plan to take advantage of the confusion and retrieve Decimus, and he does just that. The cyclops forces his way through the crowds, using the weight of his rifle to shove and beat anyone who gets in his way. When he finally reaches his destination, the center of the arena where the Senator is being held, he isn't sure what to expect. "Barricade." Whirl positions his rifle against his shoulder, staring down the sights at the police mech. He scoffs at Prowl's attempt to reason with Barricade. "Don't even bother, Prowl. He's not going to cooperate willingly." Soundwave uses his bulk to shield Silence and Rumble as the crowd around them begins to panic and fight. He begins moving, as well, trying to get a little closer to where Megatron is by locking on the Decepticon leader's mental pathways. And he's ANGRY- but that's not a surprise. "Come. Remain calm," he tells the other two, and offers his arms out- he's willing to carry them both to keep them safe. Swivel struggles to get out from beneath a felled mech, but he's heavy. However, there's an advantage to crippling wounds - they tend to bleed, and using that to her advantage, Swivel begins to smear the dripping mixture of oil, energon, and goodness knows what else as lubricant to help squeeze out from a tight spot. No, she's not going to taste test it this time. "I'm down 'ere... wot's 'appenin'?" is Swivel's frantic cry, as she'd heard not one, but two people call out to her. She boots up her IR sensors, but heat detection isn't much more helpful in such a crowd. Rumble gives Silence an encouraging smile. "Don't worry, toots, we'll get through this okay, just stick with Soundwave here." He draws his laser-rifle to provide cover in case any stray Senate scum come their way, and he hops up on Soundwave's shoulder to act like a tiny sentry. Brawl's optics narrow as he glares at the security forces as they come at him. He doesn't waste any time as he starts to slam several around with his hammer, "Honestly these the best ya got comin'!? It took lot more then this to drag me to lockup." Unless someones suddenly gets some heavy restraints or tranquilizers there's nothing stopping the berserker from going into full rage mode. Thundercracker is elbowing and wingslapping his way to where he heard Swivels scream and at Starscreams radio message to not get flattened he just huffs back something unintelligent. "Swivel can you hear me?" he calls out and starts looking for four big tires sticking out anywhere. Spotting the pink form of Arcee heading towards her, Swift Blade frowns. She'd met her a few times before, and doesn't have any personal ire for the femme. However, duty compels people in different directions, and she doesn't hesitate to move towards her and engage in combat if it will keep Blast Off untangled enough to fight in his way. "Go on ahead and find the best vantage point," she says to the sniper. "And make sure to maintain focus." Meaning, don't get stuck watching Whirl. To Arcee, she simply states, "This is unfortunate," before taking a swing at her. -Combat- Swift Blade hits Arcee with a melee attack! Megatron grins evilly as it seems Whirl is heading in his direction. As he gets closer he pulls back a fist and swings it at the Empuratas 'face'. -Combat- Megatron hits Whirl with a melee attack! Blast Off is still trying to make his way through the smoke and get a pinpoint on Whirl. He's SURE it was Whirl. And sure enough- he finally glimpses the cyclops. It makes him stop and stare through the swirling mists of chaos. He would like to radio Whirl right now, ask him what's going on... but right now? After their "Great debate"? With all this going on? Whirl's part of this? He hesitates. Whirl may hate him now... and it's obvious as he spots the cyclops approach Megatron and Barricade that this isn't the time to find out, either. No, they must get somewhere higher. Somewhere he can perch and shoot. He looks up towards the ceiling, then glances to Swift Blade... and spots a familiar shade of pink approaching them. Swift Blade is on it, though, so the Combaticon simply nods. "Very well. If you need backup, just radio me." With that, he lifts up using his anti-gravs, trying to get above the smoke and perch somewhere he can get a better view. As it is, one of the giant video screens hangs not far above where he is- so he flies up to perch there just as Megatron swings at Whirl. The shuttleformer still can't help but watch and even wince a little as the blow lands... fortunately in the chaos and smoke no one would see it. He still has his weapon drawn as he looks for a target. As Megatron feels his fist connect with the excuse for a face the autobot has and as he feels metal cruch beneath his knuckles he bellows. "KILL DECIMUS!!" Little Silence accepts a shoulder ride on the other side from Rumble. Although her armaments are pretty pitiful, she's ready to spray paint into the optics of anyone who messes with the trio. Better watch out you EVIL AUTOBOTS! Barricade jerks Decimus in front of him, putting the Senator between himself and Prowl. His other hand grabs for Pursuit, and pushes her protectively behind him. His claws close around Decimus' throat, pressing inwards. "The Senate made me the mech I am today, Prowl. They made -you- too, an' I'd worry more about your own ending. I know where I stand. I stand with the law. Decimus doesn't." The sound of her voice helps Hot Rod find Swivel in the chaos; without that, he was probably doomed to stumble in circles repeating her name over and over. WHAT A HERO. He weaves past smoke-wreathed shapes without stopping to see if they are Decepticon, Autobot or other. He finds her by very nearly tripping over the leg of the mech that has fallen over her. "Oh -- down /there/." He kneels, offering her a hand. "Pretty sure it's nothing good. Any of that yours?" he asks with a glance at the drip of liquids over her frame. Swivel had been calling rather pitifully until someone she recognised came for her. But who she sees is something of a shock to her, and the femme's optics grow wide as she stares at Hot Rod. "O'Rod... wotter... why're... yer..." she fumbles her words. She them looks down at herself and then back up again. "Uh, no... it's 'is," she says, tilting her head to the mech she had just crawled out from under. Swivel idly begins to fan the area in front of her optics futilly. Arcee gets punched, and...she /doesn't/ punch Swift Blade in return! Instead, she very quickly lunges toward the flyer, using what she's picked up from security protocol training to subdue irate suspects. Basically, Arcee's attempting to pin Swift Blade and secure her arms behind her back with the energy cuffs before she's able to transform and /really/ give her some grief. "It is pretty unfortunate, yes," she agrees as she grapples with the other femme. "Please stop resisting, and it really will make this process a whole lot easier." -Combat- Arcee misses Swift Blade with a melee attack! Whirl's claw flexes on the trigger of his rifle, still keeping it fixed on Barricade while he and Prowl exchange words. His gaze drifts for just a moment, the cyclops taking notice of the femme the police mech pushes behind him. He doesn't keep tabs on the Decepticons so it's not unusual for him to encounter one he's never seen before, especially in a place like this but the body language Barricade displays.. This is something to worry about later as there are more pressing matters to attend to. Like Megatron coming out of nowhere and clocking him in the no-face, for example. This is Megatron we're talking about so the punch is less of a punch and more of a wrecking ball that demolishes what counted as his face. Armor is dented, delicate components are crushed, and glass shatters immediately upon contact with Megatron's fist. Whirl is sent hurling backwards but before he slams into the ground, he manages to squeeze the trigger and spray the air with bullets. He's not even aiming, he's just doing /anything/ to keep Megatron from getting another hit in. -Combat- Whirl hits Megatron with a ranged attack! Prowl glances briefly at Whirl as he approaches, then watches as Barricades tries to use Decimus as a shield. What a coward. Is this what Megatron and his ilk have reduced the formerly well-respected officer to? He shakes his head. "And where -do- you stand, Barricade?" he questions. "You want a war? A war that will devastate millions more lives not only here on Cybertron but across the entire galaxy? You think you're saving the oppressed from the 'powers-that-be'? You think that whatever twisted version of -equality- you have stuck in your mind is -worth- sacrificing the lives of millions? You're as -delusional- as Megatron." With that, he makes a sudden strafing movement, attempting to flank Barricade and fire the stun weapon not at him but at the smaller mech he just shoved behind him. What's he to the former officer? Doesn't really matter exactly what, but only that he must matter to him. -Combat- Prowl misses Pursuit with a ranged attack! Soundwave places both pint-sized mech and femme on his shoulder and makes his way through the crowd. He's not here to fight- he's here to continue playing the part of a Senate Aide playing the part of a Decepticon. For now he simply does what he does best- keep monitoring the situation. Finally getting closer to Megatron and Whirl, he stops at a sensible distance... a silent support in the background for the gray miner. Rumble should be happy- he'll have a great view of the fight. Suddenly, an Autobot enforcer comes rushing in towards them- right at Silence's side. This might be the perfect opportunity for her to try out that spray paint. "Silence. Stay calm, focused... and use your talents." Indeed, the enemy mech has rather large optics, shining bright and blue in the gloom as they grow rapidly larger with the enforcer's approach. Rumble is loving the view of the mayhem from Soundwave's shoulder, still perched there. He's prepared to defend Soundwave should any officers approach him. He frowns with concern as an enforcer approaches from the opposite side, where he can't get a clear shot -- but Soundwave is right, Silence /should/ be able to handle this. She's got...paint! He knows that paint is very useful. As Blast Off takes flight, Swift Blade loses sight of him through all the fog; she can only hope that he is alright because it is out of her hands now. Despite the momentary distraction, she is focused on Arcee. While Arcee is probably good at her job, Swift Blade has been fighting for millions of years, so it is with some ease that she evades Arcee's attempt to grapple. Instead of trying to punch her again, she attempts to wrestle away the energy cuffs. "I'm afraid I can't do that; not in this situation," she says to the pink officer. "It's nothing personal." Which is true. Meanwhile, Silence is about to panic when the calming voice reassures her. Talents? Well, making things quiet wouldn't really help right now, so that leaves the paint. With a gesture she sprays a big glob of bright purple paint all over the optics, and face, of the Autobot. It's not going to hurt in the least bit, but at least the guy won't be able to see much, and he'll be very distinctly marked. Said smaller -femme- thrusts herself backwards and lets the shot pass over her as she tumbles backwards, rolling back up to a stand. "Dad look out!" she shouts at Barricade. /Oh./ -That's- what the other Cybertronian means to Barricade. She shouldn't have called it out, drawn fire onto herself by saying those words, but what do you expect from someone who's only 48 hours old? She's the greenest of greenhorns. The fact that Prowl just fired at his newspark is all it takes to throw Barricade into a complete blistering rage. He carries out Megatron's orders immediate, grabbing hold of Decimus' head and wrenching it free of his body in one clean sweep of motion. "Dereliction of duty!" he roars at Prowl, charging him, still holding Decimus' leaking, sparking remains on his claws as he calls out the crimes he is charging against the other officer. "Conspiracy to suppress information! Conspiracy against the citizenry! Ignoring due process!" Barricade attempts to bludgeon Prowl with Decimus' remains, his optics burning coals. "AND FIRING ON A CIVILIAN WITH DEADLY FORCE!" -Combat- Barricade misses Prowl with a melee attack! Thundercracker makes it to where Swiv is just in time to see Hot Rod helping her out. "You picked a great time to finally come here and -- hey, wait, who's side are you on in this?" A few enforcers go flying as Brawl charges forward though it encourages more to head his way. No doubt by now that he's getting swarmed by now. He doesn't even glance back towards the other cons. For the moment remaining focused on the fight around him. Starscream scowls at his brother's reaction, but doesn't comment. The indigo seeker really does have a soft spot for Swivel, doesn't he? He's mildly surprised--he'd always put it past his brother to care about anything. But deep below his slight shock is boiling jealousy and bitterness over having been right all along--that even if his brother did somehow manage to care about someone or something, it wouldn't be him. It would never be him. He swerves, swinging wide and searching for something beat his anger out upon. His optics come to rest on the Captain of the Tritorian Guard, and out come his null rays, aimed point blank for the Autobot. -Combat- Starscream misses Springer with a ranged attack! Megatron gets peppered with laser shots across his chest and though the damage is minor, the fact that Whirl shot him only makes him angrier. The miner follows whirl, optics glowing with rage. "Nothing will help you this time, Empurata." and he swings again. -Combat- Megatron hits Whirl with a melee attack! Blast Off looks down and lifts an optic ridge at the scene playing out between Barricade, Pursuit and Prowl- then he's back to Whirl and Megatron. Still, the sniper hasn't settled on a target yet. However... as Barricade misses Prowl, the Combaticon decides to add an attack of his own. Since going after the newspark /was/ a low blow. Besides- Blast Off doesn't like Prowl one bit. Meanwhile, several enforcers approach Brawl, smacking their fists. "You think you're a tough mech, eh? You ain't no match for us!" One feints in as if to land a blow, then ducks back just as another takes a swing at the tank. -Combat- Blast Off hits Prowl with a first strike! Whirl manages to scramble to his feet just in time to see it all happen. Prowl opening fire on the femme that Barricade was intent on protecting, the femme calling him /that,/ and then.. Barricade rips Decimus' head right off his shoulders. And then tries to beat Prowl with it. That escalated quickly. WHAM! Whirl is struck again by Megatron, battering his broken face equivalent into an unrecognizable mess. The cyclops stumbles backwards, the rifle in his hands no longer a firearm but a bludgeoning tool he swings wildly at Megatron. Turns out Megatron is a lot tougher when he's not subdued and in cuffs. Imagine that. "I take it you're still pissed about what happened! You need to move on already!" -Combat- Whirl hits Megatron with a melee attack! Prowl curses as Barricade kills the Senator quickly in a fit of rage. << Decimus is dead. Blockade the doors and arrest as many as possible. Kill the rest--/no one/ escapes this time. >> That's it. He's beyond help. It's a problem, when terrorists think they're saints. Too bad Barricade's emotions are going to cloud his judgment--as emotions tend to do. As such, the officer sidesteps his former coworker's bludgeon. Unfortunately, Blast Off does better, the shot slamming into his shoulder and causing him to stagger. "It was -not- deadly force." he grunts at Barricade's tirade. "Meant to incapacitate, not kill you idiot." Upon receiving an order from Sentinel, he quickly recovers from Blast Off's shot and charges toward Barricade. However just as it looks as if he is going to swing a punch, he transforms and guns his engines, attempting to ram him into the wall of the arena. Reinforcements are arriving in droves, flooding into the arena. These are the Heavies - they stand taller, and are built more powerfully than the miners and gladiators that fight in the pits. The bring in cannons loaded with inhibitor claws and start laying down suppressive fire, targeting anyone without a Security Forces IFF signal. Decepticons trying to escape are being mowed down without pity. Now that Decimus has been killed, the safeties have been removed. Inhibitor claws and restraints are flying through the air and snagging bodies, one after one the Decepticons are beginning to fall, but the heavy brigade has not come alone: Sentinel Prime himself has stepped into the raid now that things have begun to sour. A mass of enforcers rush through the smog and gas to try to pile on top of Megatron and hold him down, while others are attempting to pull Whirl to safety. Sometimes it pays to have allies in the right places. -Combat- Prowl hits Barricade with a melee attack! -Combat- Sentinel hits Megatron with a first strike! "I could ask you the same," Hot Rod says to Swivel. But he doesn't ask, and neither does he answer. It remains a mystery. He reaches for her arm to pull her off to the side, but he doesn't get far before Thundercracker shows. "Hey! Can you get her out of here?" He mimes a swoosh with his hand. Go fly, birdy! Springer comes through a clearing of the smoke just in time to see Barricade rip Decimus' head straight off. He stops dead in his tracks and when he does a null ray burst just misses his face as it whizzes on by. He snaps a look in the direction it came from and sees Starscream. Without so much as a word, he raises his gun and fires at the tri colored Seeker. -Combat- Sentinel hits Brawl with a ranged attack! -Combat- Springer hits Starscream with a ranged attack! Arcee isn't angry and she doesn't even seem to have a grudge against Swift Blade, but...she very obviously has orders to carry out, and carry them out she will. Of course, this is not the training room, this is a real situation, so many different factors are in play. She's still wrangling with getting Swift Blade apprehended, without suffering the indignity of having the cuffs stolen clean out of her hands. How do the cops do this?? She tosses the cuffs back into subspace for the moment, while still trying to get Swift Blade's arms secure. "This is really nothing personal, I want you to know that, but you're under arrest," she says, sighing as she suddenly realizes she's never going to become a cop. She's just not cut out for this line of work. Her spark isn't in it! -Combat- Arcee hits Swift Blade with a melee attack! "'Oo in the wot.... wot about sides now?" Swivel is addled. THis is nothing new. She just glances between Thundercracker and Hot rod absolutely confused, but compliant. The pair of femmes are probably the most boring of combatants, as neither one of them is overcome with rage or a lust for violence. However, as the chaos spirals out of control, Swift Blade finds herself more and more distracted, worrying about where Blast Off is. She knows he will hate to be arrested, and is afraid for him more than for herself. But it's not this that makes her vulnerable to the attack; rather it's all the claws being fired around. She's used to one on one combat, melee style, and dodging flying THINGS is not part of her skill set. So as she dodges one of the unidentified flying restraints, Arcee is able to pin her arms behind her back. "I guess I am," she states to the pink femme. Although her tone is calm, she still struggles to free herself, even trying to kick backwards to jar herself loose. Thundercracker grabs Swiv by the arm and looks at Hot Rod a bit guardedly, "Yea ok -- wait no I cant do that." hes here to make a stand with the Decepticons. He shoves Swivel toward Hot Rod, "Look you are the one that has to get her to safety, ok?" and he turns to head back toward the arena when hes suddenly clobbered out of sight and to the ground by some enforcers. "What are you guys, the rookies!?", Brawl yells out as he slams another enforcer away from him. He keeps smashing until he notices the reinforcements coming in, "Bought time you guys showed up. A real fight!" He charge forward ready to smash one of the heavies but is quickly denied as the first the resistor claws hit their mark. The berserker still charges for a few moments before several more restraints hit wrapping him up, "Ok now this is familiar." Soundwave watches as Silence handles the mech rather well, considering. "Well done, Silence." The enforcer is blinded, clutching at his optics with a muffled cry. He stumbles forward- and Soundwave simply reaches out and /pushes/ him. The carrier is big enough that that sends the mech flying down to the ground with a thud. Unfortunately, more come in right after him. Soundwave is surrounded. He turns his head, looking at the Heavies- who are closing in with claws and nets ready. The carrier stops, considers, glances to Rumble and Silence- and raises his arms in surrender. "We are not resisting." "Move along with your dead spark chamber." Megatron hisses and prepares to swing again when hes suddenly tackled by several enforcers at once. Even as large and powerful as he is, surprise and numbers are against him this time and after a few miments hes subdued. Although hes left his mark on several of the mechs that are holding him on his knees fully restrained. Barricade is indeed too enraged to hit straight, and as Prowl fakes him out, he's slammed into the wall, pinned between Prowl's vehicle mode and the unforgiving metal behind him. He struggles to try to push Prowl away. Pursuit is having a difficult time keeping up with the clusterfrag going on around her, but when Barricade gets pinned by Prowl, she can only think to help him as she charges forward. "Get off him!" she shouts at Prowl, shifting a tonfa out of subspace from her forearm armor, and striking at Prowl's windshield. His drive controls are in there, if she can just try to get to them--! Seconds after her attempted blow, an inhibitor claw lands on her back and she topples over, the power draining out of her systems, leaving her unable to transform or do much of anything but talk and walk. "DAD!" -Combat- Pursuit misses Prowl with a melee attack! "Woohoo!! Way to go, toots! Got that < CENSORED!! > right in the optic with that paint!!" A little voice pipes up from the vicinity of Soundwave. Yep, it's Rumble, one of the officer's shoulder-sentries. "Anyone else wanna start somethin'? Cause I got more than paint!" As they're surrounded and Soundwave surrenders, Rumble's bravado leaves him, and his shoulders slump sadly as he puts his hands in the air. "This /sucks/," Rumble mutters. Silence clings to Soundwave's arm as he raises them to keep herself steady. "No, no resisting here," she chirps out, sounding a bit unsteady. "I'd put my hands up too, but then I'll fall," she goes on to explain to the enforcers. Soundwave will feel her fear radiating out, only kept in check by her supreme trust in his ability to keep her 'safe'. And also he will sense the sinking feeling she gets as the Mighty Leader is subdued, a fear that it will be all over. "Hn." Starscream braces himself as Springer's shot grazes him. Then he careens wildly to the left and protoforms before hitting the ground in a perfect pretense crash landing. He knows how all of this is going to end, might as well let the Captain have a little premature ego boost. His wings dig into the ground, leaving abrasive marks in the arena floor as he skids to a stop in front of... Arcee. His gaze flicks momentarily towards Soundwave, then over to the pink Autobot before finally, his crimson optics glower bitterly at the Autobot who has 'downed' him. "..." He holds up his arms in surrender. Blast Off strikes Prowl as any proper sniper should, and there's another smirk under the faceplate at that. His smirk fades quickly though as a flood of Heavies and /Sentinel Prime himself sweep into the Arena. Oh slag. This is worst case scenario. An inhibitor claw whirs through the air at him, and the Combaticon scrambles back and flits higher above, behind the screen. Looking down below, he can still see Sentinel approach and strike Megatron... which looks to be just in time for Whirl. The shuttleformer casts a glance towards the exits, thoughts of escape forming in his mind. But even if those exits weren't being swarmed and locked even now- he's got friends down there. He looks over just as Arcee subdues Swift Blade. The sniper's gun is immediately swung around to aim at the pink femme and he fires off a shot, trying to help the Seeker. Then, just as his finger leaves the trigger, another inhibitor claw is launched through the air at him- and with his optic peering through his rifle scope, he can't spot it until it's too late. *Gah!* The device locks onto him and he's knocked right off his perch, falling down onto the arena below with a *thud*. -Combat- Blast Off hits Arcee with a ranged attack! This is it. This is how Whirl dies isn't it? Pummeled to death by Megatron himself. Welp, that's karma for you. Just kidding! Whirl escapes death as he tends to do, the rest of the enforcers jumping in and pulling him to safety as Megatron is restrained. He glances around at the rest of the arena, taking in the sight of.. victory? Is that what this is? The Decepticons have lost, most of them are in restraints and the ones that aren't, well, they're not a problem anymore. He looks back over to where Prowl and Barricade were having it out, watching that particular confrontation unfold. He /should/ help Prowl. Maybe. Ehh, on second thought, he's sure Prowl has this under control. That femme that fights for Barricade, however.. that deserves his full attention. Whirl makes a dash for Pursuit, reaching her just in time to see her hit with an inhibitor claw. Oh, that's actually really convenient. He reaches down to snap his claws around the femme and jerk her up onto her feet. "You. I've taken a special interest in you. Consider yourself flattered." "I-- Come on!" Hot Rod stares after Thundercracker with a shade of outrage, then turns back to Swivel. "You might be okay if--." It was probably a super good idea, but Swivel will never know what it was, because Hot Rod gets yanked back by his oversized spoiler and inhibitored like the criminal he is. Separated, Swivel's left all alone. There's a sickening crack as Barricade's body is slammed against the wall, where Prowl continues to pin him tight. He lets the former enforcer struggle against him, allowing him to tire himself out. Pursuit attempts to help her mentor, landing several blows on the Autobot's windshield, but an inhibitor claw grips her by the neck before she can get through. The officer has an inhibitor for Barricade, too. Once the mech's struggles start to fade, he transforms and stands up, pulling out the stasis cuffs and locking them into place around his former coworker's arms. He then grabs the cuffs and drags his prisoner to his feet roughly. "I told you this wouldn't end well for you." And -especially- Barricade, since he'd been the one to kill Decimus. He moves to grab Pursuit as well, but it seems Whirl has that covered. Instead, as Blast Off falls to the ground, the officer jerks the Combaticon to his feet and starts shoving him toward the exits. The number of free, functioning mechs who are not SecF quickly dwindles, the stragglers not considered worthy of an inhibitor claw getting picked off near the doors. << Mission accomplished. Pull out and head back to HQ. >> "Ugh...stop resisting. /Please/," Arcee says, being a bit more firm and applying a bit more force as Swift Blade continues to struggle. /Finally/, the pink femme gets to a point where Swift Blade's arms are secure; then and only then does she bring the energy cuffs out to cuff her. And just as she does this, Blast Off's shot rips her shoulder armor clean off, sending it sailing across the room. She cringes in pain, and just stands there, trembling and bleeding energon for a moment while hanging onto her secured arrestee with her good hand. Right before Arcee can walk Swift Blade off to the group of detainees, Starscream drops right down on the ground beside her. "...." She stares at him for a long moment, then she does what needs to be done; she gets him in energy cuffs, and silently walks him /and/ Swift Blade with her. She has too many feelings to deal with, so she just acts automatically. Since Starscream gets arrested after she's shot, he'll get to wear her energon on him on the way to detention. "O'Rod!" Swivel yelps as he's suddenly yanked out of sight. Neither Thundercracker nor Hot Rod are there, and Swivel looks around uneasily... it's getting quiet. THus far she hadn't been hit by anything to inhibit her, since she is so small of stature. BUt this does not last. Swivel doesn't even see what gets her, and there is another yelp of confusion as she is one of the last to go down, face first. Sentinel moves across the arena and looks down at Megatron, who is forced to a kneeling position before him. "So this is Megatron, huh? The "big bad" himself?" he asks with a snort of amused disdain. He leans down to look at in the gladiator-turned-would-be-revolutionary's optics. "I don't see it." As Soundwave is lead off in cuffs he can only nod to Rumble and Silence. "Cooperate and it will be alright. We will be free again." Probably just an attempt at being soothing, right? But his voice is calm as ever as he is lead away. Poor little Silence snuffles a little bit, but she goes along with Soundwave without any trouble. Unless, of course, someone tries to take her too far from her new mentor. Megatron looks at Sentinal steady, jaw set, lips in a thin line and optics glowing, "Enjoy this while you can, Prime, your cycles are numbered." its not a threat, its a promise and defiantly the miner turned rebel leader holds the Primes gaze fiercely. "I'll protect you guys! Don't you worry!" Rumble promises to Soundwave and Silence. "Anyone tries to < CENSORED > you, they're gonna hafta get through ME, first!" Some officer decides to put tiny little energy cuffs on him. "You guys make me sick!" he bellows at the police. It's anyone's guess where he picked THAT up from. Brawl glares at the enforcers as he's hauled out. He mutters something bout, "Better have a better cell this time fraggers." For all his rage, Barricade cannot act. The inhibitor is draining away his strength, leaving him helpless. Helpless to defend his newspark. He looks -pure death- at Whirl as he's lead away. "... I'll kill you if you touch her," he snarls at the rotorcraft. "-I swear I'll kill you-." He's shoved forward, not allowed to linger and hiss death threats at Whirl for more than a few seconds. Thundercracker got slammed to the ground by the enforcers that subdued him and sullenly, as well as a bit stunned, hes being led out by some goonbots. Pursuit resists Whirl in the only way she knows how: By showing no fear and no reaction to his comments. She doesn't even give him the satisfaction of a response, keeping her eyes forward and her mouth shut. There are a series of muffled noises that might have been words, had her face not been pressed into the ground and had she been one to actually enunciate. Her position is somewhat comical, as her knees are bent and legs tucked beneath her, and her face on the ground. Literally, she just looks like a bit set of tires attached to some vague light-blueish-green form. Words not working, Swivel resorts to just sobbing. Blast Off's armor is cracked from the impact of that fall, and the shuttleformer tries to push himself up as he shakes his head. That nausea is returning. Smelt it all... he's got to get away, he CAN'T get arrested again.... but clamped with inhibitor claws he's not going anywhere. The shuttleformer then looks up and sees Whirl close by, freezing a moment... then he watches as the cyclops strides up to Pursuit and grabs her with a claw and makes those comments. Blast Off stares, the sense of nausea only increasing. What... is all THAT about? If Whirl notices him at all, he'll see that hard stare on his face. But he doesn't have long to stare, for he gets pulled roughly to his feet by Prowl himself and can only *huff* weakly at the other mech as he's shoved away. He hates the mechhandling, he hates this whole situation. And he's afraid... though he lifts his head up and tries to look as dignified as he can as he's shoved away. Starscream doesn't resist, at all. But the entire time, he's fixing Arcee with his crimson gaze, not saying a single word. His optics are narrowed, but his expression is otherwise difficult to read. The seeker is then dragged to his feet and hauled forward, after the rest of the retreating Autobots. "< Fantastic >" he radios Thundercracker, "< you did /amazing/ at not getting flattened >" he remarks sarcastically. Swift Blade actually didn't stop struggling until she saw Blast Off fall to the ground, inhibitied. At that moment, she becomes surprisingly docile, which makes Arcee's task of arresting Starscream even easier. Go figure. As she's led towards the larger group, she tries to position herself as close to the Sniper as possible. Her own face is grim, head held evenly: not high or low, but undaunted. She shifts just slightly to bump the mech's arm, showing that even in these dire circumstances, she's there for him. However, she /says/ nothing. Whirl yanks Pursuit close against him, glaring at her through that singular optic Megatron made sure to smash in. "I noticed you've yet to make a sound. I'm afraid I consider that something of a challenge.." His glare then turns to Barricade as he's led away, the cyclops getting a sick sense of satisfaction watching him lose to hard. "I'll do more than just touch her. Take a good look at her, Barricade. And I mean REALLY look, because once I'm through with her, you wont be able to look her in the optics." With that he follows the rest of his team out, Pursuit in tow. There's a split second where he catches sight of Blast Off, though it feels much longer than that. He knew Blast Off would be a casuality of this, much to his chagrin considering the timing, but he was hoping that there would be enough chaos that they wouldn't actually see each other. He pauses, the hard stare that Blast Off levels at him burning right into his spark. There's so much he wants to say, so much he NEEDS to say but... he can't. He looks away and continues. Sentinel's lips curl in an amused smirk at Megatron. "I thought you'd be -bigger-." He glances up to the other Enforcers holding him as they slam down an extra inhibitor claw to his back. "Take him away for processing." Megatron holds his gaze on Sentinal and seems unbothered by the mechs comment on his size. His optics flare as another inhibitor is slammed on his back and hes yanked to his feet and drug off. Had Swivel not been sobbing, she may have been overlooked. As it is she is yanked up by her tire axles by one of the enforcers. HOwever, she doesn't extend her feet, keeping them tucked under herself. The Enforcer stares at her somewhat perplexed for a moment as she doesn't really put up much of a fight, but just continues sobbing. "On your feet!" "My feet kinna reach the -hic- ground from 'ere!" Flustered the Enforcer finally shrugs and just carries Swivel, like a piece of luggage, to where the other captives have been rounded up. Springer has a few mechs, cuffed and, well nothing to stuff them in but thats ok too. He pushes them along and glances at Arcee. "Not bad, rookie." Arcee stares right back at Starscream while prepping him for arrest, but she doesn't say anything. She does, however, look intensely conflicted. Once she has both of her detainees walked over to the rest of the group, she steps back from everything going on and stares numbly at the ground. As Springer comes over, she tries to manage a smile for him, but she can't do it. She just doesn't have it in her. "Tough job," she admits. "Got done quickly though." Oh Whirl, Barricade heard every word, and yet -- and yet! -- he manages just the faintest little bit of a smile. "I'll always be able t' look her in the optics. There's nothin' you could ever do to change that." And with that, he's drug out of sight. As Blast Off is lead away, his mind is aswirl with fear, dread, and the certain sense of impending doom... but despite all this, the lasting impression is one of Whirl. Those threats. And a sick sense that nothing may ever be the same. That is, if Blast Off lives through this long enough to SEE that change. Category:Kaon Uprising